


Someone To Talk To

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: All American Season 1 [3]
Category: All American (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coda, Conversations, Episode Related, F/M, Past Relationship(s), Post Episode s01e04 Lose Yourself, Sad Asher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-20 14:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16557410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: “You know who you need to talk to.”Asher knows Spencer had meant Layla when he said the words. He knows that’s where he should be going so that he can finally explain to her what’s going on. But that’s not where he winds up.





	Someone To Talk To

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my series, but can be read by itself.

_“You know who you need to talk to.”_

Asher knows Spencer had meant Layla when he said the words. He knows that’s where he should be going so that he can finally explain to her what’s going on. But that’s not where he winds up. He doesn’t even mean to drive here. At first he tries to tell himself it’s out of habit. He comes here so often, so of course he would come here when his thoughts are preoccupied.

The illusion lasts all the way up to the door and until the moment it opens to reveal Olivia standing there. “Jordan’s not here,” she says, by way of greeting.

Asher rubs the back of his neck, “I uhh… I wasn’t looking for Jordan.”

“My dad’s not here either.”

“I wasn’t looking for him,” Asher says, lifting his gaze to meet her eyes. She looks tired, he realizes. She’s looked tired a lot lately. He imagines he has too. “I’m here for you.”

“Look, if this is about Layla can we not do this again?” Olivia says. “I’m finally getting to a good place with her and I don’t want to keep dredging up the…”

“It’s not about Layla,” Asher cuts in. “It’s about… well my parents.”

“Your parents?” Olivia asks, her features softening just a bit. “Did something happen?”

“I’d rather not get into it on the porch,” Asher says, looking around the driveway before meeting Olivia’s eyes again. His eyes are pleading as he says, “Can I come in?”

Olivia looks hesitant for a moment, before she steps back, allowing Asher to pass. Asher remembers when this used to be easy. When he’d come over and not even have to knock. He knows he could still do that. Jordan and his parents wouldn’t mind. But he’s also aware this is Olivia’s space too, and he doesn’t want to encroach on that if he’s not wanted.

“Do you want something to drink?” Olivia asks, making her way into the kitchen. She pulls out two glasses without waiting for an answer and fills them both with lemonade.

Asher smiles when she hands him one, “Thanks.”

She nods, sitting down and then taking a sip of her lemonade before speaking, “What is it?”

“I don’t even know where to start,” he says, giving a bitter laugh as he takes a seat across from her at the counter. “My dad… well he… he got into some trouble.”

“What sort of trouble?”

“Money trouble. I don’t know all the details. All I know is that he did something and he lost a lot of money. And then mom left, and we moved. It’s just a mess.”

“Your mom left?” Olivia asks, her voice quiet.

Asher nods, but can’t meet her eyes. “Yeah. Dad didn’t want people to know so he’s been saying she’s on vacation or visiting family. People are going to catch on eventually. It’s been a year now. No one just goes on vacation for a year. Well I guess some people can. But longer than that? I don’t know. He’s just embarrassed, I think. He’s trying to keep up appearances despite the fact that we’re basically broke. Which I can get since I’ve been doing the same thing.”

“This happened a year ago?” Olivia asks, sounding surprised. Asher gets it. They were still friends a year ago, and he’d kept it quiet even then. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t know how,” Asher admits. “People see me a certain way and I didn’t know how to go from that to the guy with no money. Which I know seems shallow, but it’s not just that.”

“You didn’t want them talking,” Olivia says. She sighs when he nods. “I can get that.”

“I know you can.”

“Is that why you came to me?” she asks. “Because I know what it’s like to have people talk about them behind their back?”

Asher shakes his head, “No. I came here because you’re my friend, and I miss you. If there was one person that wouldn’t judge me, but would still tell me the truth, it’s you. I know things have been rough between us lately, and it’s probably not fair for me to be here. But I just… I needed someone.”

“Why not go to Layla? You know, your girlfriend?”

“I planned to,” Asher says. “Spencer told me to. But I started driving and wound up here. I realized this is where I needed to be.”

“I am sorry for what’s happened, Asher,” Olivia tells him, and he can hear the ‘but’ before it comes. “But I can’t be that person for you. Not right now. You have Layla and Jordan. And wait… did you say Spencer?”

“Yeah,” Asher says, his lips twitching up into a smile. “I’m as surprised as you are. But he’s not half bad. He helped me out a lot the night of the party.”

“The party,” Olivia says, her brow furrowing. “You… that wasn’t your house, was it?”

Asher doesn’t have to ask how she knows. It’s obvious if he doesn’t have money then there’s no way him and his dad can afford to live in a house like that.

“We’re renting the guest house,” Asher tells her. “Dad knows the owners. They’re out of town a lot.”

“Makes sense,” Olivia says, raising her glass to take another drink.

“I thought you didn’t want to talk about it,” he says, his smile widening.

Olivia sighs, and places her glass on the counter. “It’s not that I don’t. I still care about you. But it’s hard right now. I’m just starting to get to a good place again with Layla, and I’m working on putting my life back together after rehab. And there’s a lot going on here, too. So I think it’s probably better if you talk to someone else.”

Asher gets it. He does. He knows it’s not fair to be putting her in this position. “Yeah I get it. I wasn’t thinking.” He places his drink on the counter and pushes his stool back, before getting to his feet. “I should go.”

Olivia stands up, and follows him to the door. She puts a hand on his arm and Asher swears he can feel the touch down to his bones. “Find Layla. She deserves to know.”

“I will,” he tells her. What he doesn’t say is there’s a lot Layla deserves to know about. They both know it.

As he steps onto the porch he can swear he hears a whispered, “I miss you too,” before the door closes behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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